Hilary O Cuanachain of St Albans provided the scan of this
card saying It shows 2nd Lieutenant Patrick Augustine
Cooney (who was bandmaster of the 1/8th Hampshire Regiment)
leading the band with a gateway behind. Having looked at the
gateway I think it might be the Cassiobury Park gates. On
the reverse it has a note which he wrote to his brother
saying that he was leaving for the Dardanelles the following
day. Before the war he worked as Manager of Messrs Besson's
Military Dept in Euston Rd, London. He was born in Dublin,
Ireland. He was killed in action in February 1918 in Egypt.
The card was published by
H. R. Cull,
of 169 St Albans Road, Watford and is numbered 2081. The number
suggests it was taken shortly after the Regiment arrived in the
area, while the message shows it was posted shortly before the
Regiment went to war. It is almost certainly taken at the
Cassiobury Park Gates. |
